As influencers and micro-trends sweep social media, consumers look for the next overused and usually overpriced product.
All of these trends share one thing: price. Almost every trend comes with a hefty price tag.
While customers aren’t necessarily happy to pay a large sum, trends can easily eat up their money.
“As social media has become increasingly popular, almost every kid has TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Seeing internet personalities and people with large followings using certain products and looking the way they do, many people feel like they need what the influencers have to look like them or have their lifestyle. This has become a trend as most lifestyle videos are an inflated version of reality, so people see this and want to do what it takes to get it,” senior Josephine MacLeod Roth said.
And while trends are an inevitable part of entertainment, plenty of dupes exist as alternatives to the name brand products.
Less expensive products perform the same tasks as luxury items. However, instead of making purchases based on how well a product performs customers’ needs, consumers hyper fixate on the higher status one brand holds over the other.
“You buy something for the quality of the product, obviously; however, the name and popularity affect how much it’s bought. When things are on social media more, people want to buy it — even if it’s not good, they get influenced,” junior Carson Matteo said.
Critics see overconsumption of products as irresponsible. Especially when consumers are spending on items such as Lululemon leggings — which are known to pill after being worn at least a couple times — and expensive perfumes — like Limitless by Jennifer Lopez, which lasts for only a short time period.
Trends are brought to the media mainly through influencers. They are paid to market a product to enable brands to sell out stock. This makes the item look irreplaceable with competing brands. However, more affordable brands offer products which easily outperform other popular expensive items.
